Apparatus for cleaning and polishing automobiles



Jan. 4, 1927. 1,513,213

| J. WILDE ET AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES FiledMarch 26, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORS Lou/s J. W/LDE BY BEE K.@ILLESP/E A TTORNEYS;

- 1,613,213 1927' L. J. WILDE E T AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING ANDPOLISHING AUTOMOBILES Fiied March 26 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSLou/5 JJ/V/LDE BY BEE KG/LLESPIE Patented Jan. 4,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oi-nice;

hours .v. wrnnn mm mm x. surname; or 10s manna-s, curromvm APPAB A'I'US1 6B CLEANING AND POL ISHING AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed larch 2s, 192a Serial m. 18,550,,

Our invention relates to and has for its purpose the provision of anapparatus by which the performance of the several operationsnecwsaryin'the cleaning and polish- 5 ing of automobiles both inter orly andexteriorly are greatly facilitated and in such manner that any number oiautomobiles can be cleaned and polished sucessively and in rapid order.y

L It is also thepurpose of our invention to provide an apparatus of theabove described character wliicli embodies comparatively simple andinexpensive means for bodily and successively-conveying a number ofautomol biles througha predetermined path from a givenfpoint and in suchmanner as to successively return the vehicle to the given point, eachvehicle being'moved slowly through the predetermined path so as to givethe operal tors ample opportunity to perform the several operations ofthe cleanin and polishing oi the ear whereby a vehicledischarged ontothe conve means at-a given point will be returned to such a pointcompletely cleaned 35 and polished.

We will describe only one form of ap paratns for cleaning and polishinga1uto mobiles embodying our invention and will then. point out the novelfeaturesthereot W in claims. i

lin-the accompanying drawings: Figural. a view showing in horizontal 7section one form 0t apparatus embodying our invention g l 1 =5 Figure 2is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2oif Figure l.

V Figure-3" an enlargedfragmenta'ry verti cal sectional view taken onthe line 3-3 o i e 1. ll igure 4s-is a .iragmentary sectional view.tallrgeipontm line of Figflzedll eerrin speclfi'c tot awingsin whichreferemliv characters refer to .7 similar-parts in each: of the views,our invention inim present embodiment comprises a. circular inclosure orbull L1 ineluding-a conical shaped root supported onan outer circularwall so as to accommodate'therebetweena circular pit. 19 formed in theground and over which .the-inclosure isadapted toy-be built. Ex-

tending inwardly from; the winner '17 are radial walls 20 whichco-operate with tonnectingwalls 21 to form compartments with the rails.

ing curved beams 42 connected by cross ties:

or rooms 22. -Within the circle defined by the connecting walls 21 acentral inclosure 23 is formed, and access is to be had to this 7inclosure from a point exteriorly of the building through doors 24.These doors 24 divide'the central inelosure forming a runway 25, and therunway leads outwardly to a stationaryplatform 26.

As illustrated to advantage in Figure 2, the pit 19-is provided with aninclined bottom wall 27 w ich effects drainage of water and otherliquids into what is termed a well 28. This well 28 is of circular formand as illustrated in Figure 1 slopes downward-and outword from theplatform 26 to a point diametrically opposed with respect to theplatform wherein the wellcommunicates with I a sump 29. Formed on theinclined wall of the pit 19 is a track bed 30 upon which are securedrails 31 constituting a circular track. Movable on the track is acircular, wheeled carria e made up of a plurality oi sections am? eachsection comprising a pair of arcuate heams-32 uponvwhich'pairs of wheels33 are mounted for en agement The ends of the cams of any one sectionhave 'rabbeted engagement with the beams of adjacent sections asindicated at 34, and'in this manner the several sectionsaremaintained inend to end relation to form the circular carriage.

Asectional crown gear 35 is fixed to the inner beams 32 of the movablecarriage to be engaged by a gear 36 fixed to the outer end or a shaft37, the latter extending through a suitable opening 38 formed inthe-earth for connection with-a conventional fonm of reduction gearing39 locatedin a it 40. Thereduction ear in turn is adapte to be driven byan ectric motor 41 whereby the shaft 37 and the gear 38 are constantlydriven in one direction thereby efl'ecting continuous rotation of thecrown gear a carriage in a clockwise direction as when viewe inFigure 1. i -v For supporting automobileson the movable carriage acircular platform is provided; l6and an inner circular wall 17 spacedirom the outer wall and this p atform is constructed of a plurality ofarcuate sections, each section compris 43, the latter beingairan inspaced relay tion'to each otherfso' as to allow the free drainage ofwater the platform sections'and'into the 19; The opposite ends 36 of theformer is provlded with a raised 48.

" with those of adjacent sections as shown. -To endof the stationaryplatform is first submaintain the platform sections againstdisjected toa cleaning action by playing thereplacement from the movable carriagethe on needle sprays of cold water. InFigure platform sections'areprovided with owel 2, we have shown one form of apparatus 131118 44which are removable in sockets or which may be used for purpose, suchopenmgs 45 formed in the beams 32 of the apparatus including a flexiblehose 49 suscarnage sections. In this manner the platform sections areheld against lateral dis- 50 and adapted to be swung by a" manualplacement but the upward displacement mani' ulation" of a cord 51 from alatformthereof can be "readily effected to provide 52. n this manner thes ray rom the success to the pit when desired. I

The outer wall 16 of the bail is prothe car. As the car advances underthe vided 'withman entrance, and wit this movement of the'movableplatform, it moves entrance between the inner and 'outer walls clear ofthe spraying apparatus when 'a 16' and 17 is arranged the stationsplatgang of operators s form issuperposed with respect to the mov- Afterthis operation, during which the veable platform to allow the freerotation of hicle is continuously moving, it is subjected the latter.therebeneath. As shown in Figsuccessively to other cleaning operationsure 1, the stations platform 26 is inclined and finally to the necessarypohshing operaat its opposite .en in the direction of the tions to thatby the time it reaches the right movable platform so as to reduce asmuch hand end of the stationary platform it is as possible the distancebetween the two and coinpletel cleaned and hose 49 canbc played over t eentireJtop of.

nge ofl -with warm a form 26. As shown in Figure 3, this platwater thebody and enders of the vehicle.

lished. As the.

nded from a support byimg'ans of a cord.

thus minimize the drop or elevation of an vehicle a vances toward testationary'platautomobile passing ofi of the platform '26 form itsfront wheels ride onto the stationto the movable'platform or vice versa.a ary platform and at opposite sides of'the To guide an automobile fromthe platprojection 46 whence it is guided oif of the form 26 to therotating platfor'm one end stationary platform and into the inclosureportion or projection 46 which is tapered as In shown to allow. theready movement of deposltedon the movable latform and as .the frontwheels of a motor vehicleinto rapidly discharged from t e movableplat--- straddling relation to the projection whereform back onto thestationary platform and by upon continued movement of the vehiwith eachcar thoroughly cleaned and p01- cle front end first it will be "dedcenished during its course trally onto the movable plat orm. Theapparatus. a. other end of the platform 26 is formed The water'and otherfluid matter emwith an arcuate projection a? designed to bodied in thecleaning of theautom'obiles is I guide automobiles discharged onto theplatfree to drain through the movable platform form from the movablelatform and in and carriage into the pit/19, the inclined such mannerthat they be directed ofl' bottom 27 causing this matter to draininto ofthe platform with their front ends first the well 28 and by virtue ofthe sloping'of andonto an inclosure 48. The inclosnre 48 the latter aspreviously described; it be constitutes a subsidiary entrance to theclear that the fluid matter will drain into.

building and may be divided into rooms or the sump "29. In this .mannerthe pit and compartments as shown. v '7 well will kept comparativelyclean,-but

-Inthe operation of the ap 'aratus, the when necessa carriage togetherwith the movable platform the well /for c purposes is continuouslyrotated in a clockwise dirmone or more of the carriage and platform tionas when viewed in Figure 1. so that the sections; movable platform isassing in a direction In away from the left and end of the staprojection54 movable -m' a slot 55 of the tionary platform and in a direction'tostationary platform 26 ad ae'entto the-proward the stationaryplatform atthe rightf jection 46. This member 54 is normally I Ysuitable eapable of being dc ressed to a apparatus for manipulation-by eoperators to efi'ect a thorough cleaning andractice. automobiles aresuccessively,

of travel around the access can be readily had to r by removing hand endof the latter. At intervals around urged upwardly by springs 56 but is;the movable :platformarearra v I registering device 5 By thisarrangement,

it. be seen that avehicle moving onto lishmg ofan' automobile so thatdtu'ing t e "of an 'automdbile from the discharged end 7 thestat-ionaryplatform to the receiving end thereof 'it is successivelysubjected to the several eleaning and operations.

' le aniautomobile discharged onto r H e-l ft hand.

. the stationary platform willengage the projection 54 and depress thelatter to accommo date the device 57, thereby keeping an ac curate.record of. the number of machmes delivered to the rotary platform, It-isto be understood that the operation-of the.

registering device is such that it requires.

v in Figures 1 and 4, we have shown a two successive depressions of theprojection in order to register the passage of asingle vehicle. a

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of apparatusfor cleaning and polishing automobiles embodying our-invention, it willbe understood that various changes may be made Without departing fromthe spirit of our invention and the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims. x j

What we claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, means constituting a combinedentrance and 3 exit for an automobile, and a movable platform correlatedwith said means, whereby to permit an automobile to be driven front endfirst therefrom onto said platform and driven front end first. from theplatform back to said means and in such manner that the automobile;remains on the platform between the two drivin operations.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a movable platformsupported for rotation, means for continuously rotating the-movableplatform, a stationary platform superposed with respect to the movableplatform, means by which a vehicle is guided on to the movable platform,and means by which a vehicle discharged on to the stantionary platformfrom the movable platform is guided from the stationary platform.

3. A structure of the class described com-, prising an annular platform,means for continuously revolving the platform, and means to permitautomobiles to be driven onto said platform while the latter is inmotion and for causing the automobiles to be arranged in an annularseries thereon with one di-' means for continuously rotating the plat Iform, and a stationary platform superposed with respect to the movableplatform whereby vehicles can be delivered to the movable platform anddischarged therefrom.

5. Anapparatus as embodied in claim 4 wherein the stationary platform isprovided with projections for guiding vehicles there:

from on to the movable platform, and for guiding vehicles discharged onto the sta tionary platform.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a circular track,a circular wheeled carriage movable on the track, a circular platformsup orted on and fixed to the carriage, means fbr continuously rotatingthe carriage, a stationary platform above the first platform, and meanson the stationary platform for guiding vehicles therefrom on to thefirst platform and for automobiles may be positioned on the platform inan annular series with one directly behind another and with their; frontends forward.

8. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform,means for continuously revolving the platform, and

means to permit vehicles to be driven on to the platform while thelatter is in motion, for causing the vehicles to be arranged in anannular series thereon, with one directly behind the other, and to causedischarge of the .vehicles from the platform in the same order asdelivered thereto and while the platform is in motion.

' LOUIS J. WILDE.

BEE K. GILLESPIE.

apparatus for use in the cleaning

